I really didn't want to burn it.

Rumor has it that before each patrol, His Majesty Li Ang would smile and say, "Let's see which adorable criminal is going to be beheaded by me today~".

During the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, the Empress herself patrolled the streets less often, but the enforcement of the law only increased.

The first two emperors of the Tang Dynasty were both long-lived, ruling for a combined total of nearly 200 years, and had long since instilled the law into the hearts of every Tang Dynasty citizen.

None of the officers present were willing to personally experience the laws of the Tang Dynasty, especially the most severe military law—the sentences were all at least death sentences.

"Commander, what do we do now?"

The staff officer asked cautiously.

The commander replied matter-of-factly, "Of course we'll wipe out these rabble of troublemakers! Do you think we, with our superior numbers and equipment, would be afraid of this bunch of rioters?"

The commander, unaware of the enemy's true identity, never took those snipers seriously from the start.

"But those rioters have weapons that the Tang Dynasty didn't have..."

"That kind of thing is nothing to worry about!"

The staff officer's concerns were seen as cowardice by the commander, who roared to embolden his men.

"Those long-range weapons are indeed terrifying, but their attack intervals are long. If we lead a large force to charge in, even if there are casualties, it is not unacceptable compared to annihilating them completely."

At this point, the commander smirked maliciously.

“I sent people to scout ahead. There are only a few hundred people on the other side. Even if we include any possible ambushes, there are at most a few thousand.”

This was the result of several days of careful investigation by scouts dispatched by the commander.

In Afghanistan, a poor and remote region, even if the enemy wanted more troops, it wouldn't matter, as they simply couldn't afford to support them.

"I don't think His Excellency Sigurd will agree."

"It doesn't matter, we can use our own Afghan troops." The commander sneered. "We should really thank that young master for concentrating the troops in one place, saving us the trouble of dispatching troops from various places."

"Commander, the enemy has stopped attacking. I reckon they're preparing to retreat again, just like they did a few days ago!"

Just then, the messenger rushed into the military tent.

"Hmph~ They'd never expect us to strike today! Everyone, let's wash away this shame with this battle!"

"Oh!!!" *N

The commander's words won the approval of most people in the tent.

As for the remaining officers who were still somewhat clear-headed, although they wanted to offer some advice, it was true that the commander had said they would soon be punished by the imperial court.

After much deliberation, these people still chose to echo others' opinions.

"Full pursuit! We absolutely cannot let those troublemakers escape!"

The commander roared passionately at everyone.

"This is our chance to wipe out these rebels. We absolutely cannot let the young masters of Luoyang have it!"

"The entire army should be deployed in light armor. The mountain roads here are difficult to traverse, and the heavy armor will not be able to catch up with them!"

"May His Majesty the Great Ancestor protect us! Let's go!"

The commander's words revealed a strange fervor, a desire for military merit.

"Humph!"

The moment he stepped out of the military tent, the burly commander glanced at the map on his desk and let out a heavy, cold snort.

"What hopeless stupidity."

The girl Cast appeared in the tent, watched the officers' departing figures, and shook her head helplessly.

Then, Cast also stepped out of the military tent. Of course, she wasn't going to join the attack, but to find her Master and comrades.

The Tang army's opponent was none other than "Emperor Taizu" in their own words, so how could they be completely unprepared for such a thing?

Why couldn't these officers see through such an obvious attempt to lure the enemy?

Perhaps it wasn't that they couldn't see it, but rather that the life-threatening crisis made them instinctively forget the possibility. Furthermore, the Tang Dynasty's over a century of global dominance had blinded these arrogant and reckless men to the so-called invincible Tang army.

"In terms of martial prowess alone, these people can indeed be called brave, but they are too brave but reckless."

Sigurd watched the soldiers charging out of the camp in formation and murmured to himself.

"What are you saying, Lady Sab?"

The lieutenant, who hadn't heard the staff officer's mutterings, asked curiously.

"It's nothing, just a bit sentimental."

Sigurd sighed self-deprecatingly, pushed up his glasses with his index finger, and still wore a gentle smile on his face.

"Alright, no matter how much they complain, they won't listen to us Imperial Guards from Luoyang. Let them do whatever they want."

Kadoc asked in a low voice, "What if they really steal the credit?"

"Then just give it to them. Our Group A is already at its limit in terms of what can be sealed off," Sigurd replied nonchalantly.

With Her Majesty the Empress as their backing, they stood at the pinnacle of power in the Tang Dynasty from the very beginning. They didn't need to do anything; they just needed to maintain their position.

This is also the basis for Sigurd's conservative strategy.

"What if they suffer a crushing defeat..."

Ophelia looked quite worried.

“Look on the bright side,” Sigurd replied casually. “At least our Royal Guard won’t suffer any losses, will it?”

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

"What did you say?! They've caught up with us?!?"

Xiang Yu's eyes lit up when he heard the soldier's report.

"Father!!!"

Xiang Yu charged toward Li Ang with a loud cry.

"Shut up, I already know."

Li Ang rubbed his temples helplessly.

The fact that the Tang army had mobilized its entire force presented him with a real problem.

It should be noted that Li Ang had already revised his plans; this was the last day to fire on the Tang army in Afghan province, as he was to "enter the capital, Luoyang," the next day.

And yet, on the very last day, they still managed to pull this kind of stunt on themselves.

"What's wrong with Sigurd? He can't even control his own men."

"Hey, godfather. Shall we fight or not?"

Xiang Yu looked at Li Ang with shining eyes.

"Look at you drooling like that, if I gave you a tail you'd be a husky."

Li Ang kicked Xiang Yu in the butt in annoyance.

"I guess this is fate."

Xiang Yu didn't care. He looked up at the sky, laughed heartily, and revealed a set of white teeth.

"This must be what they call the right time, the right place, and the right people."

Li Ang's eyelids twitched.

Today's dust storm, reminiscent of 21st-century Beijing weather, is indeed perfect for an ambush; not to mention the favorable terrain and the support of the people.

Although he no longer had that idea, Li Ang still arranged his daily plans according to the ambush strategy.

Originally, this was just a careful consideration by Li Ang after many years of military campaigns, but unexpectedly, some reckless young man actually broke through.

"How could those guys at the military academy produce such worthless trash?!" Li Ang roared in exasperation.

Were those officers who dared to chase after us idiots?!

If they didn't have any backing, would they dare to urinate in front of an army of tens of thousands every day to mock them?!

"How many years has it been?! My military officer system has degenerated to this state?" Li Ang stomped on the flowers and plants under his feet. "Mei Niang, you have disappointed me greatly!"

[Host, you didn't say that in bed. You said, "Mei Niang, you've never disappointed me."]

"Back then, I meant she was being used as bedding! It's a completely different concept from being an emperor!"

Li Ang kicked a stone far away.

"Godfather~~"

Xiang Yu gave a sickeningly sweet reminder, "If we're going to fight, we need to start preparing now."

"let's hit!"

Li Ang gritted his teeth; there was no reason not to eat the meat that was offered to him.

Otherwise, although the Qin soldiers he brought wouldn't say anything, they would definitely have some resentment inside.

"Let's use this defeat to wake those guys who're still living in a drunken stupor," Li Ang said through gritted teeth. "If we don't hit them hard, these little brats will really think they're invincible!"

[After a century of slumber, the Chinese people are gradually awakening.]

"Mourning System!!"

Li Ang, who was being teased by the system with the song "The Great Wall Will Never Fall," let out a low roar like a lion.

Xiang Yu, standing to the side, lowered his head and whistled, pretending not to hear anything, and turned to run to direct the army's ambush.

Chapter 292 Potato Circle, I, Li Ang, am back!

Meanwhile, in the pursuing forces of the Tang Dynasty.

"My lord, those rioters have stopped heading towards Pingluan Valley, and it seems they intend to regroup their troops."

Pingluangu is a place name, and just like its name suggests, it is a rare flat and open area in this mountainous region.

Upon hearing the report from the scouts, the commander revealed a sinister sneer.

"Hmph, they're just a bunch of insignificant rabble who actually abandoned the advantage of the mountains and want to fight us in a place where our army can deploy!"

The commander's excitement was understandable; the valley was a rare open space, one of the few places where the Tang army's large-scale group army could maximize its combat effectiveness.

Unlike guerrilla warfare, direct confrontation was the only option there. This meant the battle came down to paper statistics such as the number of soldiers, their combat skills, and morale, minimizing the impact of tactics.

"A troublemaker is a troublemaker. They've only won a few games and they've already started to look down on us!"

The commander felt that he was truly blessed by God. The rebels in front of him couldn't even distinguish between the frontal battlefield and guerrilla warfare, and chose to compete with him in terms of strengths.

"As expected, these bumpkins know nothing; they're nothing but a rabble!"

The commander had already envisioned his own brilliant and mighty appearance when he annihilated the entire army.

It should be noted that the Tang Dynasty had not experienced a large-scale war for decades, and the newly enthroned Empress urgently needed to consolidate her rule.

If he can win this war spectacularly, as a gift to Her Majesty the Queen, then what would have been his dismissal from office in the Afghan rebellion might become an opportunity for him to be promoted and ennobled.

"I've heard that our Empress is still unmarried."

This audacious commander's thought process has evolved from initially fearing dismissal and investigation to now indulging in wild fantasies.

It should be noted that the former Empress was a concubine of Emperor Taizu. In order not to bring shame to the wise and powerful Emperor Li Ang, one of the prerequisites for Empress Wu Zetian to ascend the throne was that she would remain a widow for him for life.

But the new Empress Yang Yuhuan was different; she had no intention of remaining chaste for anyone. Naturally, her husband became the focus of attention from all sides.

"If I can gain His Majesty's favor through this victory, perhaps... hehe."

This commander, whose name won't even be mentioned in this book, left behind his own shameful drool for his own fantasies.

"Expand the troops laterally! Press down on their defensive lines from both flanks! Make sure to encircle the enemy! Do not let a single enemy escape!"

Judging from the commander's tone, he was clearly determined to defeat this group of enemies.

Although Li Ang belittled the Tang army as worthless, that was in comparison to the elite Qin army that Li Ang was currently leading.

In terms of military prowess, the Tang army was an absolutely overwhelmingly powerful force in their home world.

As the military order was relayed, the Tang soldiers began to change formations, meticulously carrying out the command.

The movements of the Tang army naturally attracted Xiang Yu's attention.